Yorba Linda’s Nieto decides on Brown University

Yorba Linda’s Gavin Nieto will attend and play his NCAA Division I hockey at Brown University following his junior career.

A goaltender for the North American Hockey League’s (NAHL) Fairbanks Ice Dogs this season, Nieto leads the league with a 1.74 goals-against average and holds the sixth-best save percentage at .927.

Nieto, a former Los Angeles Jr. King, is 16-3-1 and has posted three shutouts in 20 appearances. His 16 wins are tied for the most in the league.

A 1994-born, Nieto split time last season between the NAHL’s Janesville Jets and United States Hockey League’s Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Brown, which is located in Providence, R.I., and competes in the ECAC, is 2-5-2 in league play this season, good for six points and tied for seventh place in the 12-team standings. Led by head coach Brendan Whittet, the Bears are 2-7-3 overall.